Southfield, Mich. -- R. L. Polk & Co. introduced a new program to help original equipment manufacturers maneuver through the most critical months of their new or redesigned vehicle launches. With more than 300 models offered to U.S. consumers today, and more than 50 new or redesigned models entering the market this year, Polk's Vehicle Launch Program enables manufacturers to analyze the market, identify their best prospects and evaluate marketing efforts in today's fiercely competitive and ever-changing automotive environment.

"Polk's Vehicle Launch Program is timely and relevant considering the vast number of vehicle introductions planned in 2007," said Laura Flaherty, product manager, R. L. Polk & Co. "Given the complexity necessary to reach the modern consumer via today's fragmented media environment, brand managers can rely on Polk to manage and execute their launch programs and ultimately meet their aggressive sales targets."

Polk's Vehicle Launch Program includes nine phases and is deployed over an 18-month period, from six months prior to 12 months post-launch-guided by a Polk analyst.

The program begins with the pre-launch planning phase, during which manufacturers are able to leverage the industry's best automotive and consumer information to thoroughly analyze market trends, profile target customers and accurately identify and communicate with their best prospects to assure launch campaign efficiency and results. An essential element of the pre-launch phase is the dealer launch guide, which provides each dealer with actionable and specific market area information to help them successfully promote the new vehicle.

During the post-launch phase, a new profile and targeting model based on actual buyer behavior is developed and a detailed evaluation is performed on the first market communication. A competitive buyer survey is also conducted to benchmark the competition and better understand consumers' rationale for purchase decisions. Based on the findings, a refined follow-up marketing campaign is then conducted.

Following the second communication effort, another evaluation is performed allowing for additional refinement of the communication strategy moving forward. It also provides valuable insight regarding the campaign's return on investment and which features of the campaign strategy drove the most traffic to dealer showrooms.